Russia Seeks to Strengthen Its Influence in Kyrgyzstan
News:
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on July 2. This meeting was unexpectedly organized after the official visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Kyrgyzstan.
Comment:
Official meetings of heads of state are usually determined in advance and their dates are announced. However, Japarov's visit was surprising, as the media learned about it one day before. In addition, no topics that were of great interest were raised in the official meetings. Accordingly, it can be said that Kyrgyzstan prioritizes its relations with Russia in its foreign policy. The reason that prompted it to take such a step is the recent Russian support for the Kyrgyz opposition forces and the increased pressure on Kyrgyz immigrants in Russia. Because the Kremlin, unlike other players in the region, pursues a policy of pressure and intimidation in countries under its influence.
Russia's influence in Central Asia has weakened due to the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions. The outbreak of war in the Middle East and the orientation of the West, especially America, towards China and the Middle East, has temporarily allowed Russia to breathe a sigh of relief. Therefore, it began its first efforts to strengthen its influence in Kyrgyzstan, which was a convenient country for its policy in Central Asia. It focused its attention on promoting its culture to achieve this goal, which differs somewhat from its previous policy. For example, during the meeting of the two presidents, the focus was on cooperation in the field of culture and education. Currently, two hundred Russian teachers and two hundred teachers are working in Kyrgyzstan, and they are working to promote the Russian language in it and align its education system with the Russian education system. In addition, schools are being built with Russian funding to increase the number of schools that teach in Russian. The construction of 9 schools has been completed so far. At the same time, the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University has been reformed, and the construction of the large university campus has begun. The Chairman of the State Committee for National Security, Kamchybek Tashiev, became the head of the boards of trustees in the schools. Therefore, Putin thanked Japarov for the special status granted to the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan and for his cooperation.
The laws that were issued to enhance the influence of the Kyrgyz language in Kyrgyzstan, as well as the promotion of Western culture, and the strong desire of Muslims to learn Islamic culture, prompted Russia to take this step. Because culture is related to a specific principle, which includes the history, law, literature, and language that represent this principle.
The economic and trade relations between the two countries are also gaining strategic importance. Last year, the volume of trade exchange between Russia and Kyrgyzstan increased by 11%, and in the first four months of this year, this number exceeded 17%. Russia mainly exports oil, building materials, fertilizers, grain products, and medicines to Kyrgyzstan. In turn, Kyrgyzstan mainly exports agricultural products and light industry products to Russia. The volume of annual trade exchange ranges between 3.5 and 4 billion dollars. It is estimated that about a quarter of Kyrgyzstan's foreign trade is with Russia. Russia uses the Commonwealth of Independent States politically, the European Union economically, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization militarily to keep Kyrgyzstan under its influence.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir Radio
Mumtaz Ma Wara' al-Nahr